Download Sample Appeal Letter for Denied Claims

insert physician or practice letterhead
Template Letter of Medical Necessity – Claim Request
insert date
insert Medical Director Contact name
insert Payer organization name
insert Street address
insert City, State, Zip Code
RE: insert patient name
Date of Birth: insert patient’s DOB
Policy ID/Group Number: insert policy ID/group number
Policyholder: insert policyholder’s name
Dear insert payer medical director/contact name :
I am a(n) insert physician specialty writing on behalf of my patient, insert patient name , to document
the medical necessity of OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal implant), billed under HCPCS code
J7312—“Injection, dexamethasone, intravitreal implant, 0.1 mg,” that I administered for the treatment of
diabetic macular edema. I submitted the claim under insert code and descriptor—eg, 67028 (“Intravitreal
injection of a pharmacologic agent (separate procedure)”) .
On September 29, 2014, OZURDEX® was approved by the FDA for the treatment of diabetic macular
edema.
Indication and Usage
Diabetic Macular Edema
OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) is a corticosteroid indicated for the treatment of
diabetic macular edema.
Dosage and Administration
FOR OPHTHALMIC INTRAVITREAL INJECTION. The intravitreal injection procedure should be
carried out under controlled aseptic conditions. Following the intravitreal injection, patients should be
monitored for elevation in intraocular pressure and for endophthalmitis. Patients should be instructed to
report any symptoms suggestive of endophthalmitis without delay.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Contraindications
Ocular or Periocular Infections: OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) is contraindicated
in patients with active or suspected ocular or periocular infections including most viral diseases of the
cornea and conjunctiva, including active epithelial herpes simplex keratitis (dendritic keratitis), vaccinia,
varicella, mycobacterial infections, and fungal diseases.
Please see additional Important Safety Information on following pages.
The efficacy of OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) for the treatment of diabetic macular
edema was assessed in two 3-year multicenter, masked, randomized, sham-controlled studies. Subjects
were to be evaluated for retreatment eligibility every 3 months starting from month 6 but could only
receive successive treatments at least 6 months apart. Retreatment was based on physician’s discretion
after examination including optical coherence tomography. Patients in the OZURDEX® arm received an
average of 4 treatments during the 36 months.1
The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with 15 or more letters of improvement in bestcorrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline at month 39 or at final visit for subjects who exited the
study at or prior to month 36. The month 39 extension was included to accommodate the evaluation of
safety and efficacy outcomes for subjects who received retreatment at month 36. Only 14% of the study
patients completed the month 39 visit (16.8% from the OZURDEX® group and 12.2% from the sham
group).1
Visual Acuity outcomes at Month 39 (All randomized subjects with LOCFc)1
Visual Acuity outcomes at Month 39 (Subgroup for pooled data with LOCFc)1
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)
Contraindications (continued)
Glaucoma: OZURDEX® is contraindicated in patients with glaucoma, who have cup to disc ratios of
greater than 0.8.
Torn or Ruptured Posterior Lens Capsule: OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) is
contraindicated in patients whose posterior lens capsule is torn or ruptured because of the risk of
migration into the anterior chamber. Laser posterior capsulotomy in pseudophakic patients is not a
contraindication for OZURDEX® use.
Hypersensitivity: OZURDEX® is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to any
components of this product.
Please see additional Important Safety Information on following pages.
Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert patient’s last name is a(n) insert age -year-old male/female who has diabetic
macular edema (ICD- 9/10 -CM insert ICD-9 or ICD-10 code(s) ). Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert patient’s last
name presented to me on insert date with details such as symptoms, eye exam results, and clinical
impressions . This condition impacts Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert patient’s last name ’s ability to describe how
condition affects visual acuity, activities of daily living, or other outcome measures (if appropriate) . If
other treatments for diabetic macular edema were used prior to OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal
implant), would indicate what was furnished/performed, as well as outcome(s).
I treated Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert patient’s last name with OZURDEX® on insert date . I administered
OZURDEX® by intravitreal injection. The OZURDEX® dose administered to Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert
patient’s last name was 0.7 mg.
This patient’s response to OZURDEX® has been indicate the status, if applicable . Based on this outcome,
I plan to treat Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert patient’s last name with OZURDEX® indicate the planned course of
treatment and duration . My clinical expectations for treatment with OZURDEX® are indicate
expectations . Follow-up is expected to involve include expected additional evaluations and treatments .
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)
Warnings and Precautions
Intravitreal Injection‐related Effects: Intravitreal injections, including those with OZURDEX®
(dexamethasone intravitreal implant), have been associated with endophthalmitis, eye inflammation,
increased intraocular pressure, and retinal detachments. Patients should be monitored regularly following
the injection.
Steroid‐related Effects: Use of corticosteroids including OZURDEX® may produce posterior
subcapsular cataracts, increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma, and may enhance the establishment of
secondary ocular infections due to bacteria, fungi, or viruses.
Corticosteroids should be used cautiously in patients with a history of ocular herpes simplex because of
the potential for reactivation of the viral infection.
Adverse Reactions
Ocular adverse reactions reported by greater than or equal to 1% of patients in the two combined 3-year
clinical trials following injection of OZURDEX® for diabetic macular edema include: cataract (68%),
conjunctival hemorrhage (23%), visual acuity reduced (9%), conjunctivitis (6%), vitreous floaters (5%),
conjunctival edema (5%), dry eye (5%), vitreous detachment (4%), vitreous opacities (3%), retinal
aneurysm (3%), foreign body sensation (2%), corneal erosion (2%), keratitis (2%), anterior chamber
inflammation (2%), retinal tear (2%), eyelid ptosis (2%). Non-ocular adverse reactions reported by greater
than or equal to 5% of patients include: hypertension (13%) and bronchitis (5%).
Increased Intraocular Pressure: IOP elevation greater than or equal to 10 mm Hg from baseline at any
visit was seen in 28% of OZURDEX® patients versus 4% of sham patients. 42% of the patients who
received OZURDEX® were subsequently treated with IOP-lowering medications during the study versus
10% of sham patients.
The increase in mean IOP was seen with each treatment cycle, and the mean IOP generally returned to
baseline between treatment cycles (at the end of the 6-month period).
Please see additional Important Safety Information on next page.
OZURDEX® (dexamethasone intravitreal implant) treatment was medically necessary in the treatment of
Mr./Mrs./Ms. insert patient’s last name ’s diabetic macular edema. Please contact me at physician’s
contact telephone number if you have any questions or require additional information.
Sincerely,
Physician Signature
Physician’s Full name
Address
Telephone Number
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)
Adverse Reactions (continued)
Cataracts and Cataract Surgery: The incidence of cataract development in patients who had a phakic
study eye was higher in the OZURDEX® group (68%) compared with Sham (21%). The median time of
cataract being reported as an adverse event was approximately 15 months in the OZURDEX® group and
12 months in the Sham group. Among these patients, 61% of OZURDEX® subjects versus 8% of shamcontrolled subjects underwent cataract surgery, generally between Month 18 and Month 39 (Median
Month 21 for OZURDEX® group and Month 20 for Sham group) of the studies.
Please see accompanying OZURDEX® full Prescribing Information or click here.
Reference:
1. OZURDEX® Prescribing Information.
©2014 Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA 92612 ® marks owned by Allergan, Inc. APC15UP14 143546